arpie Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) Hi all Yesterday, i thought I'd try to change my reel to l/h drive (again .....) & took some sps down to the marina to test it out. I am sooo right handed, that it really does feel weird winding with my left hand, however, it feels much more natural 'wiggling' the rod tip with my right hand, whereas trying it with my left hand makes it more jerky & less controlled! I didn't even have my camera or extra line with me, and I'd already lost one jig set to a moored boat which took my leader as well ..... so the jig head was tied straight to the 3lb Stren Braid! From the jetty, I tossed the sp into the shallows, just out from the weed bed & was 'wiggling' it back parallel to the shore. Whack! I am onto a nice looking flattie! It was about 60cm ...... but I wasn't used to 'setting the rod' with my right hand & was having difficulty finding the reel handle to wind it in anyway, so just held the rod tip high to keep pressure on as I was trying to get back to shore to fight it from ground level ...... it took me under the jetty ....... and got off!! Tossed it out again (we are talking small sp here on a small jig head! I am amazed the flattie hadn't scoffed the lot & busted me off) & I get another one, smaller this time! He got off too! It was an exciting few moments & I continued fishing for another hour with no more hits, altho some bream did follow at one point! I changed back to right hand drive & felt much more comfortable! Cheerio Roberta Edited February 6, 2009 by Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisg Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Roberta Which arm do you cast with? If its your right I really encourage you to stick with the L/H wind. It does make your cast and retrieve that much easier. Spend a week even in front of the Tv flicking a couple of metres of line out and L/h winding back in. It will feel more natural as time goes on. Cheers C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 Hi Chris I cast with my right hand, but when I changed the handle over, even that felt weird, too!! I have tried the 'sit in front of the tv' trick once before .,....... obviously didn't give it long enough!!! Must try again - purely for the rod tip control more than anything else! thanks Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tastes better with chips Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 hi there Roberta and all when i was learning to fish with my dad about 40 years ago i always used a l/h reel . that was not through desire etc , but just he was a lefty and we used what we had . even though i am also sooo right handed i can't wind with a r/h reel at all . it just feels so wrong even though i cast r/h . to each their own i guess . all the best . cheers scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunney10 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Hi all Yesterday, i thought I'd try to change my reel to l/h drive (again .....) & took some sps down to the marina to test it out. I am sooo right handed, that it really does feel weird winding with my left hand, however, it feels much more natural 'wiggling' the rod tip with my right hand, whereas trying it with my left hand makes it more jerky & less controlled! I didn't even have my camera or extra line with me, and I'd already lost one jig set to a moored boat which took my leader as well ..... so the jig head was tied straight to the 3lb Stren Braid! From the jetty, I tossed the sp into the shallows, just out from the weed bed & was 'wiggling' it back parallel to the shore. Whack! I am onto a nice looking flattie! It was about 60cm ...... but I wasn't used to 'setting the rod' with my right hand & was having difficulty finding the reel handle to wind it in anyway, so just held the rod tip high to keep pressure on as I was trying to get back to shore to fight it from ground level ...... it took me under the jetty ....... and got off!! Tossed it out again (we are talking small sp here on a small jig head! I am amazed the flattie hadn't scoffed the lot & busted me off) & I get another one, smaller this time! He got off too! It was an exciting few moments & I continued fishing for another hour with no more hits, altho some bream did follow at one point! I changed back to right hand drive & felt much more comfortable! Cheerio Roberta Hi Roberta Having flyfished in the Uk all my life and being a right hander, it seems more natural to wind left handed, the other reason is when playing a fish it seems more logical to use your stronger arm to control the rod when playing the fish, in case of sudden runs or lunges and use the weaker left hand to regain line, so i know it feels awkward at first but do try to persevere as it will become second nature over time and the control you will have of the lure will improve dramatically..... best of luck and tight lines Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim77 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Keep at it Roberta - it will seem natural after a while. I grew up in the UK and when fishing there - if you are RHanded you are taught to hold the rod with your right and wind with your lft hand. I was amazed when i came here and it was round the other way... As others have mentioned already, surely it makes sense to hold the rod with your stronger/dominant arm, and wind with your weaker hand ie left. I always point this out to people when they are playing a big fish and they pump the rod with their right arm and than have to switch sides in order to wind up the line they have just gained - doesn't make sense if you ask me! The only problem with fishing LHanded is that there are limited options when it comes to Overhead reels. There are a few models made and Daiwa have just added one to their jigging range but the options are limited. Stick at it - i reckon after a few weeks practice you will never look back. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cupster Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Give it time Roberta, I'd imagine it's very hard to change after many years of winding right handed. Probably didn't matter much in the past but nowadays with the success and popularity of sps there's a definite advantage to it. Being a lefty I've never had trouble winding with my right hand as lefties are used to compromise [living in a right handed world] so i got the best of both worlds..able to accurately cast and work the rod with my favoured arm whilst using any reel..baitcaster/overhead/alvey etc. makes up for having to learn all those complicated knots in reverse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high_speed_metal Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 (edited) Roberta Which arm do you cast with? If its your right I really encourage you to stick with the L/H wind. It does make your cast and retrieve that much easier. Spend a week even in front of the Tv flicking a couple of metres of line out and L/h winding back in. It will feel more natural as time goes on. Cheers C. Do you live in a cinema or something mate haha.. EDIT: I have also been thinking about the L/H Wind as I cast with my right. One of my mates does it and he looks a lot more comfortable Edited February 7, 2009 by high_speed_metal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenno64 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Roberta, When I changed to lhw it only took an hour or two of casting to get used to it. Now I have one rod left and one rod right (because it doesn't reverse). My rod for sps is lh so I can get a better wiggle with the rod in my dominant hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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